PIA to acquire three A-330s from Sri Lanka

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has formalized a wet lease for three A-330 aircraft from Sri Lankan Airlines, a fleet addition which was announced at a ceremony held in Colombo on Friday.

CEO, Bernd Hildenbrand signed the contract with Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines, Ajith Dias and CEO Capt. Suren Ratwatte, said a press release received today.

The contract materialized after a series of negotiations between the two sides.

The first of the 3 aircraft would be delivered during the next week, and the rest in the following months.

The aircraft are in brand new condition and will be used for PIA Premier, which aims to give passengers a better experience in a bid to regain market share for PIA.

PIA Premier is scheduled for launch on August 14, initially only to London.

There will be six weekly Premier service flights to London, including three from Islamabad and three from Lahore. Later, with the addition of more aircraft, the service will be expanded to other destinations.

Chairman, Azam Saigol appreciated the efforts of the PIA team led by Hildenbrand in finalizing the contract for the three additional planes.